Silent Auction: a Soundless Success

Seton Hill University (SHU) held its Silent Auction Sunday. Proceeds benefited the SHU Parents Association, which uses the money for student-related services like lounge chairs or games. Kathy Fajt and Charmaine Strong of the department of student services led the auction and mailed information to families explaining how the funds would be used.

”It’s a fun event, parents like to get involved, the bidding adds some excitement,” said Strong.

Items were located in the McKenna Center the following weekend. Among the items displayed were baked goods, gift baskets, lamps, blankets, jewelry, candles, and Steelers tickets.

“It was the biggest selection I’ve seen so far, and parents brought more in as they came. It’s great that the money goes back to Seton Hill. Now that we’ve got the football team, the donations should grow even bigger,” said Margaret Dominick, student services administrative assistant.

The Silent Auction has received many different items in the past.

“There are always a lot of unique handcrafted items. I remember someone once donated a hand-made Seton Hill quilt. We also had a family that would always donate zucchini bread. Every year people would look for that zucchini bread,” said Fajt.

Bids closed at 5 p.m. and winners were announced at dinner in Lowe Dining Hall. Although $1,000 was raised this year, more items than cash donations were received.

“It made things more interesting for the bidding war,” said Fajt. “There was more parent participation this year and people were really interested in the items up for auction. Everything had at least one bid.”